


Only Clark

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: Drama, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-04-12
Updated: 2003-04-12
Packaged: 2017-11-01 05:21:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/352419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes it's just a matter of giving the name a new meaning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only Clark

## Only Clark

by SkaterBoy

<http://www.livejournal.com/users/skaterboyslash/>

* * *

Title: Only Clark  
Author: Skater Boy (ImaSkaterBoy@hotmail.com) Category: Drama, Romance  
Spoilers For: Pilot  
Rating: NC17  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Summary: Sometimes, it's just a matter of giving the name a new meaning. 

* * *

"Al, ex, and, er." 

Pronouncing every syllable carefully. Very important to say his name right. His real name. 

"Alexander." 

Happily plucks petals from the flower he found beside the sidewalk, watches them wheel her away. He tilts his head, then screeches when someone picks him up from behind. 

"Lily!" 

His captor thinks he's upset about the flower. 

"It's not a lily, son. It's a weed. Now let's go." 

Confused, reaches over a big shoulder. 

"Lily! Mama Lily!" 

"Mama Lily is sick, Alexander. She's going away for a long time. Maybe forever." 

A mean thing to say to a little boy. Very mean. 

"Mama Lily!" 

She doesn't turn around to look at him. She's very weak from the cancer. 

"Mama," he sobs, and tries to escape. He's scolded, and doesn't see her alive again. 

* * *

He hides his eyes from the ground, so very far away. Supposed to be brave, but he's not. The helicopter is too loud, moving too much. 

Smallville is _not_ small. Giant towering cornstalks, Alexander wonders if he could climb one. Wanders into the cornfield. 

Doesn't understand when the sky starts to fall on him. Fire and rocks leave him shaking and scared and bald. Bald eight year old. Bad eight year old. 

"Papa?" 

Lionel, nowhere to be found. Alexander, alone, being punished again? Punished for not being brave in the helicopter, for covering his ears and squinching his eyes shut. Bad Alexander. Weak Alexander. 

"Papa?" 

Not his, not anyone's. Man, big and tall like papa, but not his. 

"Martha," the man says, and they look at Alexander and he looks at them. He touches his head. 

In a pickup truck, smooshed between Martha and the man and his papa. Martha has her own little boy, as little as he was when they took mama away. 

He smiles at Alexander and Alexander doesn't understand. He reaches out, puts his hand on Alexander's cheek, and smiles. And Alexander doesn't understand. 

They call him Clark. Three years old, they say. Don't say they found him in a cornfield in a spaceship, the day Smallville earned its endearment of Strangeville. The meteor rocks that brought Clark, and took away his hair. 

"Alexander," he says importantly, and Clark giggles. 

"Lex'nder." Clark giggles again. Little baby boy from outer space. "Lex'nder!" 

"Alexander." He gets cross and folds his arms across his chest and pouts. 

Clark giggles. "Lex." 

Tries to snuggle but papa won't let him. Eight year old boys don't snuggle. 

It's a long time before he sees Smallville again. 

* * *

The receptionist looks at him over the counter with a raised eyebrow. Withholds the report as he regards Lex with a strange look. 

"How old are you?" 

Dramatic sigh. "Sixteen." Can't quite sound as bored as he feels. They got high for his birthday, not really different since they get high all the time, but someone snitched. And Lex has a feeling it has something to do with the poor excuse of a man who's come to bail him out. 

Lionel clucks his tongue. "You know, Lex, if you're going to play adult games, you'd better be adult enough to avoid getting caught." Looks expectantly at him. 

"Go to hell, dad." Snatches the papers away from the receptionist and signs them, shoves them at Lionel for him to sign too since he's a minor. Leans back against the wall, crossing his arms, glares back at the other juveniles. What a condescending word, he thinks. Juvenile. 

"This better be the last time I have to bail you out, Lex." 

They're glaring at him too. The only reason he doesn't have to stay here is because of the money and power that goes with his name. Three times. 

"Lex Luthor?" 

Lex rolls his eyes as his new p.o. introduces himself. Not long, he thinks, and waits for Lionel to work his magic. A face, a name, temporary freedom. Only legally, though. He's never free of Lionel. Never free of Luthor. 

"Well, it looks like we're all set here, Mr. Luthor." 

Of course. Watches Lionel talk to the chief. Wonders how far money and charisma can go. 

Doesn't have much time to wonder. Back to prep school and daily demerits. 

Away from Lionel, at least. 

* * *

Another reluctant journey to Smallville. Driving this time, in control, not cowering in a helicopter. Still doesn't want to be here. 

No fear. Driving and talking on the phone at the same time, same risk as always, because life is too short to play it safe. This is nothing. Not like mixing drugs and unprotected sex. Every day is another chance to tempt death. 

Didn't expect it to come this soon. But it does. Crash, hit, body, fly, water, drowning, dead. 

But... not dead. Rescued by his victim. Doesn't recognize him as the little boy who first called him Lex in that long ago pickup truck, fleeing cornfields and meteors. 

At first it's just casual concern, EMTs and nervous citizens, nothing like this happens in Smallville. Run-of-the-mill questions, the question always asked, asked for his name. 

"Lex Luthor." 

Silent stares, immediate disapproval and blame. 

Luthors don't do good in Smallville. 

* * *

"Chloe Sullivan." 

It's not the first time he's been to someone else's graduation, but it's the first time he's here because he wants to be. He's here for a friend, something he didn't used to believe in. Someone who trusts him and who he trusts back. 

He doesn't know the names of all the students, but it doesn't matter because he's only here for one person. He does, however, know every last one of Clark's friends, even if they don't like him. 

"Peter Andrew Ross." 

He's not sure how it happened. Must be Smallville. Finally, someone who sees past his name, who doesn't take everything he says with a grain of salt, who trusts him without question. A lot of that can be attributed to Clark's naivete, but that doesn't stop Lex from basking in it. 

"Lana Elizabeth Lang." 

They're lined up by height. Lex would've known, even without seeing the lineup, that Clark's going to be last. He's always been taller than everyone in his class, always looked older than he was. Not always easy to remember how young Clark is, especially when the flirting gets more serious, but Clark doesn't mind. Lex wonders if Clark knows what's behind it, more than just having fun. 

The last row stands up, and Lex keeps looking at Clark, has been looking at him the whole time. Clark's been watching his classmates accept their diplomas, but now he looks into the audience and catches Lex's eye and grins. Lex grins back and waves. Worth the hours of boring speeches to see the smile on Clark's face, just for him. 

His graduation wasn't anything like this. Maybe it was different, or he was. He remembers feeling slighted when he found out he had to make a speech as valedictorian. It wasn't that he didn't like being the center of attention, but he hates ceremonies, dull things people only go to because they have to, just waiting for it to be over. Just fucking politics, waste of his time besides the stockholders and investors he can get out of it, and getting up to talk at graduation hardly had that benefit. 

"Clark Jerome Kent." 

And Clark's looking at him when he accepts the diploma. 

Alexander Joseph Luthor wishes he'd had someone in the audience to look at when he'd graduated. But Luthors are too busy to come to their son's graduations. Lex had given his speech to an audience of strangers. 

The class of 2005 throws their caps in the air. Clark's going to an after-graduation dinner with Chloe and Lana and Pete. Lex was invited but he'd declined. Business, he'd said. 

Clark corners him by the car before he can leave, before the rest of the party leaves the field. 

"Lex." He grins and waves, and Lex has to laugh at Clark in the flowing red robe. He's taken his arms out of the sleeves and just has the top clasp fastened at his neck over his dress shirt. The robe is flapping in the wind like a cape. 

"Hey Clark." Can't think of anything to say that wouldn't sound corny, so he doesn't say anything else. Clark's holding the mortarboard. It has two tassles, one is yellow for the school colors and the other one is blue. 

"Journalism club," Clark explains, removing the blue tassle and tucking it in his back pocket. "Here." 

Lex stares. He tilts his head at Clark, an unspoken question. 

"I want you to have it. To remember me when I go to school in Metropolis." 

He doesn't need anything to remind him of Clark. "Don't you have to return it to the school?" 

Clark just laughs. "I paid the five bucks. Come on, take it." 

Lex still just stares. Clark, offering him something to remember him by. Shouldn't he be keeping it for himself, or let his parents have it for posterity? "I don't have anything for you." Can't, Clark's father won't let him accept any gifts from a Luthor. 

"Sure you do." And when Lex looks confused, Clark smiles. "Friendship." 

And that has to be the fucking corniest thing Lex has ever heard, but he doesn't laugh. He reaches for the cap, and doesn't really mean for their fingers to touch, but they do, and Clark doesn't move his hand away, just keeps smiling at him. 

He's twenty-four years old and he should be over this romance bullshit, but his heart insists on speeding up when decides not to leave it at that this time. Clark's smile fades, not in a bad way, and he kisses Lex back, too brief but it's something. Because Lex just kissed Clark, and Clark kissed him back, and this is the closest to being in love he thinks he's ever been. Doesn't think about love much, not something he associates with himself, but maybe when you get to know someone over four years it's possible. 

With Clark, it seems like anything is possible. 

* * *

He's too young to spend his life in board meetings. Bored meetings, Lex thinks, and would laugh at his own pun if it weren't extremely inappropriate. Stock reports, analyses, powerpoint presentations, it's the same shit every week. Still, he can't remember life before board meetings and corporate power plays. Besides fencing, the stock market is his only sport. 

Everyone looks at the door when one of the secretaries comes in with a message for Lex. He excuses himself to take the call. Listens with no expression on his face, hands the phone back to the receptionist, tells her to cancel the rest of his meetings for today and tomorrow. 

Doesn't know whether to feel miserable or jump for joy. 

The funeral is on a Wednesday, not the best day for a funeral but it's not up to Lex. He'd rather not be here, just another stupid ceremony, a passing of power. 

The first rites. 

He has to give a speech, of course, and he recognizes every face looking back at him from the folding chairs, either from LuthorCorp or LexCorp. Both his now, but that won't change anything. 

He wonders it it's possible to lose a father who was never a father in the first place. 

* * *

He finds the freckle behind Clark's right knee, and kisses it. Clark sighs. 

Kisses it again, smoothes his hands up Clark's thighs to settle on naked hips. Brush of his tongue under the knee, then moves slowly between Clark's legs. Feathery kisses up the inside of one thigh, then the other, licks a stripe down one side. Retraces the moist trail with sucking, open-mouthed kisses, harder as he gets closer to Clark's groin, tightens his grip on trembling hips. 

He doesn't tease. Someday, when they both have more time, they'll play games. For now, they take the time they have together, few and far between, and make love with each other. Another concept that's new to Lex, but something he's only had with Clark, and that's all that really matters. 

Rubs circles over Clark's hipbones with his thumbs as he wraps his lips around Clark. Tastes him, smells him, and Clark's breathing harder, faster, not losing control just yet. Lex takes his time, stretching his mouth to let more of Clark in as he moves lower. His rhythm matches Clark's breathing, more and more frantic, until Clark chokes out his name. 

He wastes no time crawling up to kiss Clark deeply on the mouth, pulling back briefly to position himself over Clark. Their eyes lock when he starts to lower himself, but soon he throws back his head and closes his eyes until Clark's all the way in. Clark doesn't move, lets Lex get used to him, runs his hands over Lex's thighs. When Lex is ready he leans down to capture Clark's mouth again, and they move together, slow, sensuous, intoxicating. Rocks into Clark, legs wrapping around his waist, hanging on for dear life as the pace gets more desperate, heels digging into his back and Clark's eyes glaze over. 

" _Lex_!" 

Screams like he's falling, flying, and then Lex is coming too. Chants Clark's name into his mouth, Clark's voice echoing in his head. It drives him crazy every time, the way Clark says his name, like no one else ever has. 

Only Clark. 


End file.
